EDITOR'S CHOICE

The game of bridge, for most people, brings back memories of chatty card-playing sessions in college dorms or summer cabins.

For competitors, though, bridge is a grueling mental challenge that requires quiet concentration, quick moves and canny defensive strategies. No wonder, then, that many of the world's top business executives -- and, in Chicago, legions of options and commodities traders -- compete in championship-level bridge.

"Just like in business, you have to make very quick decisions at the bridge table," says Jeffrey Wolfson, 45, chairman of Pax Clearing Co., a Loop options clearing firm. "It takes discipline, mental gymnastics and quick reflexes."

This week, the Summer North American Bridge Championships are being held at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, where 5,000 players from around the world will compete in more than 150 events ranging from Novice Pairs to Spingold Knockouts. Only three such championship tournaments are held annually, and it's been 10 years since Chicago has played host.

While it's not a spectator sport -- and not an event for beginners -- tournaments are considered a great place to improve one's bridge game and meet players at a similar level.

The last time a tournament was held in Chicago, then-social player Ginny Schuett thought she was heading downtown to play bridge with her usual gang. "But then, I realized it was a tournament," says Ms. Schuett, who lives on the North Shore.

"It was exciting, I got hooked (and) later played four sessions per day, which is really nuts. It's like running a marathon: It's really tough, challenging, fun, frustrating."

The greatest pleasure over the years comes from the friendships she's made with other competitors, she says, even though they see one another only at tournaments.

A new generation of bridge players is showing up at tournaments, organizers say, because of bridge-playing sites on the Internet.

"You can get up in the middle of the night and play bridge with someone in Australia. It's no cure for insomnia," notes Ms. Schuett, who is offering instruction for novice and intermediate players during the tournament.

Mr. Wolfson, a social player in college who honed his game to championship level during the 1970s while living in Italy, only plays tournaments these days, even though he describes those 11 days as emotionally and mentally draining. "But when you win," he says, "it's exhilarating, just like any other sport."